Margarita Bars

Margarita Bars – May is fast approaching which means three things: Cinco de Mayo, hot summer nights, and margaritas. Or should we make that margarita bars?

Have I ever told you about the time that a treadmill hit me in the face? #truestory

And before you get all, “Now Dorothy, get real. Treadmills can’t hit someone in the face. You must have eaten too many margarita bars and fallen on the treadmill. You just say it hit you in the face for laughs,” I’m going to tell you it’s the truth.

A treadmill hit me in the face once. And it was not fun. And no margaritas, bars or otherwise, were involved.

It was probably 6 or 7 years ago when the treadmill got pissed off and decided to beat me up. It was in our garage and it was folded up, lock engaged. Mel and I were moving it and I was directing in the front while he was pushing from behind, where the belt is.

And all of a sudden the lock broke.

And the treadmill opened and the heavy side (where the controls are) flew at me and hit me in the face, right next to my eye. If it had been 1 mm to the right it would have actually hit me IN the eye.

This is the only time I’ve ever almost passed out when no margaritas were involved.

All I really remember during my haze is that Mel was yelling and Jordan was crying because I’d fallen on her toy pumpkin and she thought I’d broken it. Ah, kids.

I don’t remember what happened to the treadmill after that, but we no longer have it. I’m still a little shy around treadmills in general. I mean, it’s not every day one gets ornery.

Instead of walking in place these days, I prefer to eat margarita bars. They’re basically lime bars with a hint of orange and a hint of tequila. So, margarita.

Making These Margarita Bars

I made these bars last week, ate two, and promptly sent the rest to Jordan’s school. Lime bars like this have no place in my house. I will literally eat myself sick on them. Same thing with lemon bars, lime curd, and lime cheesecake.

I think I like citrus more than I like chocolate. *gasp*

These bars are super easy and they’re the perfect dessert for summer, especially if you’re throwing a Cinco de Mayo party.

The bars start with a thick graham cracker crust. I pre-bake it a little so it’s crunchy and not soggy after you add the margarita topping.

The filling is based off of my favorite white chocolate lemon bars except I turned them into your favorite summer drink by using lime juice, orange juice, and tequila. Let’s break the components down:

Lime Juice: please use fresh, if you can. You need lime zest but you can omit it if you really can’t find limes. I know they’re a pain to squeeze but using a lemon squeezer helps immensely.

My favorite margaritas always have orange liqueur in them, so I added 1 tablespoon of fresh orange juice to the mix.

And, lastly, tequila. I wanted these bars to have a more authentic margarita taste and for that you need tequila. You can omit the tequila if you want or need too. Just add more orange or lime juice (see the notes in the recipe).

I baked my bars in a 9×9 pan for a thicker look. If you want thinner bars, just us a 9×13 pan. Baking time will be affected.

Once the Margarita Bars cool you cut them and dust them with powdered sugar. Then serve them with a frozen margarita. Is that a paradox?

These Margarita Bars are way better than getting hit in the face with a treadmill. Just sayin’.

1tablespoontequila— optional (you can omit and use an extra tablespoon lime or orange juice instead)

1/4cupall purpose flour

Powdered sugar— for dusting

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x9 square pan with foil or parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

Mix crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and melted butter with a fork in a large bowl. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 12 minutes.

While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. Whisk the eggs with remaining 2 cups of sugar. Whisk in juices, zest, and tequila, then whisk in flour until no lumps remain.

Note: you can omit the tequila if you wish. Use an extra tablespoon of orange or lime juice in it’s place.

Pour lime mixture slowly and carefully over hot crust then continue baking for about 25 minutes until the top starts to brown and is no longer translucent. Cool bars completely before cutting. It’s easiest to cut cold bars, so I suggest chilling them before cutting. Dust the tops with powdered sugar. Store in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

73 comments

Comment navigation

These look incredible!! Any recommendations on how to make the crust gluten-free? Normally I would try GF graham crackers, but my local store only carries the crackers in cinnamon and chocolate flavors, and I can’t imagine these tasting that great with either of those. Thanks! 😉